….The state has received 4,063 retirement applications through April, up 5.7 percent from a year ago.
….both of the leading candidates to replace Gov. Jim Doyle have talked about changing the way state pensions are handled. As it stands now, most public workers contribute nothing to their own retirement, but the Legislature does have the power to make changes going forward, including moving back the retirement age or increasing years of service requirements.
Trying to cut existing benefits, however, could prove far more difficult and would likely face a legal challenge. Financial commitments to public workers have long been seen as sacrosanct and courts have generally agreed.